The representative of the Motherland Party of Turkey Hakan Topkurulu called the refusal of Turkish banks to use the Mir payment system due to threats of US sanctions a blow to the tourism industry of Turkey and the entire Turkish economy. The Aydınlık newspaper quoted the politician as saying on Tuesday.
"The suspension of the Mir system used by Russian tourists because of US threats means that tourists from Russia should not come to Turkey. This can only be regarded as hostile activity aimed at tourism in Turkey. <...> [At the same time] the target is not only tourism, but also directly the Turkish economy," Topkurulu stressed. "<...> These are sanctions against Turkey, not against Russia," he added.
According to the Turkish NTV channel on September 27, three state-owned banks in Turkey have refused to use the Mir system. Official sources have not yet confirmed this information. According to the channel, the state banks decided on Tuesday morning to withdraw from the Russian payment system, but it has not yet been officially announced. Private Turkish banks Is Bankasi and Denizbank announced on September 16 that they would stop accepting Mir cards following a statement by the US Department of Treasury about their intention to impose sanctions for supporting Russia's attempts to expand the use of its payment system abroad.
Last week, Erdogan instructed relevant ministries to work out alternatives to the use of Mir cards in the country. This issue was discussed at the government meeting on September 26, as well as during the meeting of the president with the heads of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the leading local banks on September 23. The decisions taken at these meetings were not reported.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: State Duma of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS